Rexy

I'd love this track to be warning audio for my PC as well, lol. After listening to a couple of examples of the Sakamoto-Nicolai partnership, I understood what you were going for in regards to the arrangement's direction. It's a very unusual approach - aside from chords that last for two measures, the only thing that resembles a melody is the progression of chords in the first half of block 4, and I sensed variations aplenty within the constraints of the art form, as prophetik brought up. Given how minimal the source is, I would've liked to have heard some reference to the rhythmic drone throughout for further familiarity, but that's more like something that's "nice to have". The mixdown is also very clean as well - which makes sense as the palette only consists of piano and some glitch effects. None of those SFX were louder than the main lead, which was luckily needed in a track like this as it needed to show itself off with those manipulations - varied panning techniques, wave-forms getting spliced, pitch-shifting aplenty and some brief EQ changes. I can see where MW is coming from with the pink noise at 1:45, but technically it's just simmering next to the piano and not out to dominate the soundscape. These are unorthodox techniques, but they function together in context, and I'm okay to consider this over the bar. All in all, you did good with a minimal source and have continued to push for more musique concrete onto the front page. Due to inspirations, it's a more accessible form of this sub-genre, with enough source and sound manipulations to keep the listener engaged. Excellent work, Michael! YES

Hello there! This is my first submission, so I deeply apologize for any mistake I could make. I hope you enjoy this track as much as I enjoyed making it. Thank you! Contact Information ReMixer name: Eidenlux Real name: Lucian Lazzaro Website: https://www.facebook.com/EidenluxMusic UserID: 36170 Submission Information Name of game arranged: X-Men vs Street Fighter Name of arrangement: Royal Flush ~ BGP Groove Name of individual song arranged: Gambit's Theme Additional info: Composers: Yuki Iwai, Yuko Takehara; Platform: Arcade, Playstation, Sega Saturn; Developer: Capcom; Release date: 1996 (Arcade). Original soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trtF-jR7hPg Comments: This track was originally composed for a side project of mine, "Brutal God Project", which covers music from fighting videogames, along with some original tunes. Music-wise, it aims to be a strong blend of Synthwave, Cyber Metal and Symphonic Metal, among other electronic-driven genres - mixing the nostalgic, psychedelic leads and ambience from Synthwave, the powerful riffs and sophisticated arps and sequencers from Cyber Metal and the epic and marvellous presence of Symphonic Metal. Some non-VG inspirations for this project are Neurotech, Sybreed, Deathstars, Droid Bishop, Gunship, among many others. Production-wise, I tried to retain the classic spirit of the original instruments for the lead synths, while at the same time making use of modern high-quality techniques for mixing and synthesis; along with a very layered mixing style. Most of the instruments used are my own, the leads in particular, which I try to make constant use of, as a "signature" method. An interesting fact is that a reduced version of this tune was played live at the 5th edition of the Argentina Game Show, held in Buenos Aires - in the first BGP live show ever.

Name: Hypetreme Website: www.youtube.com/Hypetreme UserID: 32731 Game name: Mega Man X Arrangement name: Chilling In The Snow Original song name: Chill Penguin Stage Theme I wanted to make jazz cover of the song but it didn’t turn out like that exactly. It is little bit jazzy and has some 80s -90s pop rock vibes too. It is certainly something relaxing you can fall asleep to. I tried to make it very natural sounding and avoided using too much compression. The song has this chaotic jazz walking bass part and relaxing creamy ”chorus” part. I never did an arrangement like this before and I’m happy how it turned out. Guitar and synth are played by me, everything else is programmed.

RebeccaETripp Rebecca Tripp http://www.crystalechosound.com/ ID: 48262 Game(s): Final Fantasy 10 Song Title: Macalania Shaman Songs Remixed: Macalania Woods

The submission letter didn't make it clear, but Luis's contribution was with editing and mixing. -Rexy- ReMixer name: TheChargingRhino Real Name: Lauren Stanisz No website User id: 33732 Name of Game(s) arranged: Mega Man X2 Name of Arrangement: Trial of the X-Hunters Name of individual song(s) arranged: X-Hunter Stage 1 (aka Sigma's Fortress 1+2) Own Comments: This remix is from the recent release of Pixel Mixer's MMX tribute collection album, "Mavericks of Destruction". I used Super Audio Cart for the entire mix, and two members of PM helped me, they are both on the Quality Control Team: Dewey Newt and Luis Vasquez. The presets that are used are (not in order of appearance as they are all over the place) Narrow Escape, Clubbing in the Cave, Rage in the Cage, Robotix Groove, Turbo Guitar, East vs. West, and Exploring the Demon Maze Source Times: (via actual file time, not Drive) 0:00-0:48 - source (intro + A) (48 seconds) 0:49-1:02 - original (14 seconds) 1:03-1:17 - original solo by Dewey - kinda source at the end (14 seconds) 1:18-1:24 - source (B) (6 seconds) 1:25-1:38- source bass/rhythm mix (14 seconds) 1:39-1:52 - original (14 seconds) 1:53-2:31 - source (A + B) (38 seconds) if my math is correct, the source time should be around 1:32. Original sections are 0:56 seconds over the course of the track

I rejected it last time based on its mixdown. Since the arrangement has stayed as it is, it makes sense for me to quote what I said about that. The mixdown is also a vast improvement. The airy white noise has gone, any distortion left lingering is a subtle use of effects, and the palette is much more defined - I can tell what each synth is doing now. If there's one irk I have, it's that I would've liked a volume boost for your leads in the final third - but considering the very nature of the track, I don't consider it as a dealbreaker. Nevertheless, I think it's good to go for the front page - so glad you decided to go over your feedback and workshop it some more. I'm excited to see what you'll bring in future subs! YES

Agreeing on the headroom - it's quiet even in comparison to past work, Reuben. The live instrumentation all sound clean, but it's hard to make out the melodies when the accordion is too far out into the front. Even with that gone, both flute melodies at 1:55 are so similar they bleed into each other. To remedy this, I feel one part is better off being either performed at a lower/higher octave or on a different wind instrument altogether. The cymbals also overpower the kick and snare, so by bringing them down a touch, you'd get more out of the rest of the drum kit. The arrangement is straight-forward though - some changes to the melody with one or two additional notes, along with those lovely flute harmonies at 2:24. Nothing mindblowing outside of Greg's solo spot at 1:26, but the subtle modifications are enough to consider this a decent framework. It does, however, have some problems regarding autopilot. The bass does the same style of rhythms throughout, and I would've liked to have seen some form of a shake-up after the drums' introduction. And talking of the drums, they go through the same four-bar pattern until the end. See if you can find areas of the track where you can change up the groove and break that monotony. Indeed, a lot of smaller problems have added up for this to get sent back to the drawing board. The bass/drum autopilot issues, mixdown, flute melody clashing and master levels have all contributed some significant areas of improvement. The framework and performances are delicate, so I say keep the structure as it is while you take a look at these current flaws. Keep at it. NO (resubmit)

I dug the arrangement aspect a lot when I paneled the original submission, and I like it even more now with those bass writing tweaks. The source made its introduction at 0:49 and started straight-forward, then branched into some interesting parts at 2:21 and 3:17 where the backing remained in place, and new melodies appeared over the top. The structure is solid as well - an ominous opening with pads and pitched percussion, the meat of the groove at 1:42 and 3:18, plus the chance to squeeze in some involving bass LFO work in the breakdown at 2:21. It's a robust framework and a great example of how to handle something relatively brief. Letting go of the heavy limiter also helped a lot with the mastering, giving the calmer sections some room to breathe with the newly expanded amount of headroom. All parts sound clean, are well articulated in the bigger picture, and the amount of distortion and reverb throughout is considered more tasteful than the original submission. I'm not too sure where prophetik is coming from with the lack of bass, because the sub-bass here is intense and appropriate for a track of this type of EDM. If anything, I would've wanted a slight boost in the high-mids on a master compressor to get the arpeggios and melodies some more presence, but it's no dealbreaker at all in this case. Nevertheless, it's a vast improvement, and I'm so glad you decided to get it fixed. I'm all in favor of seeing more Vermilion rep on the front page after hearing this revision - great work! YES

Dear OC Remix, Please see details below regarding my submission: Dr Robotnik’s Revenge, links to composition are at the bottom. Contact Information Your ReMixer name: Pyrus Your real name: Andy Bryer Your website: https://www.youtube.com/user/pyrusFTSC/videos?view_as=subscriber https://soundcloud.com/apexpredator Your userid: 35471 Submission Information Name of game(s) arranged: Sonic the Hedgehog 1 (Sega Genesis) Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Sega Genesis) Name of arrangement: Dr Robotnik’s Revenge Name of individual song(s) arranged: Sonic the Hedgehog 1 – Boss Theme Sonic the Hedgehog 3 – Boss Theme Additional information about game including composer, system, etc: Sonic the Hedgehog 1 – Sega Genesis – original composer - Masato Nakamura Sonic the Hedgehog 3 – Sega Genesis – original composer - Brad Buxer Link to the original soundtrack: Your own comments about the mix, for example the inspiration behind it, how it was made, etc. I love the ominous feeling of the Sonic 1 boss theme – it’s so menacing and badass – which really lends itself to slow, lumbering, downtuned heavy metal. It really is Robotnik’s theme in my opinion. By contrast, the Sonic 3 theme is great in a different way – it’s high energy, fast, and has a really heroic feel to it – this theme belongs to Sonic and it spells Sonic’s triumph more so than Robotnik’s fury. I thought it would be cool to contrast them in the same composition and I think it works well. I titled the track “Dr Robotnik’s Revenge’ when I decided to repeat the Sonic 1 boss theme in the third and final part. Composed using Abelton Live 9 with Superior Drummer 2.0 (Metal Foundry) and various other free VSTs. The project took about a week to compose, mix, and master. I play guitars and synthesize all other instruments. I hope you enjoy. Thank you for considering my submission. Kind regards, Andy Bryer (Pyrus)

Artist: Sole Paradigm Real Name: Devin Paquette Name on Forums: SoleParadigm Song: Thrashin' the Temple From the game: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link Remix of: Temple theme Original Composer: Akito Nakatsuka Probably one of the coolest songs from any soundtrack has to be the Temple theme from Zelda II. Even as a kid I rocked out to it. The track always sounded metal to me. I know some would disagree. But I could hear it clear as day in my head. In 2007 or so I took a crack at it. The first time I made an attempt it wasn't fast enough. I had matched the original tempo and was just not happy with that. So I sped that up. And also, I was playing through a Spider IV combo amp mic'd with an SM57 and the guitars just sounded way too thin. Starting from there, over the years I've taken several cracks at it using different mixing and miking techniques. But it wasn't until a few years ago I realized that for this to be as epic as I wanted it to be I needed to think bigger than just metal. My thoughts turned to Dream Theater's Octavarium album and Metallica's S&M. So I saved up for a copy of EWQLSO Platinum and Symphonic Choirs which took a couple years. Once I learned how to use those I went to work. For the final version, I used an Axe FX II amp modeler for guitar and bass plus Superior Drummer 2.0 with the Progressive Foundry kit. The thing about this track is that it's loud, fast and heavy with just those instruments. When adding the orchestra and choir parts I had to be careful that they didn't get lost in the mix. So when using the mod wheel for dynamics I didn't go too low so as to not lose those instruments. Some EQing helped as well. This track will punch you right in the face from beat one and will give you a pummeling with little room to breathe. It's heavy as all hell but it also has heart and soul. It'll make you wanna pick up a sword and shield to fight whatever battle you're fighting in life. I hope you all love it as much as I do. If not, well... at least it gets my head banging on my way to work.

Contact Information Your ReMixer name: overflow Your real name: Sebastien Skaf Your email address: Your website: http://sebastienskaf.bandcamp.com/ Your userid: 23598 Submission Information Name of game(s) arranged: Shovel Knight Name of arrangement: Beaker vs Shovel Name of individual song(s) arranged: The Vital Vitriol Link to the original soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc6iIij7FgA Source Usage The source tune is all there, but I broke it up between segments of original riffs & solos. The first one starts at 1:04 and lasts until 1:26. The next is from 2:20 until 2:44. At 2:44 you've got a restatement of the main theme but in half time with some sparse instrumentation, and at 3:04 it transitions into a guitar solo. At 3:47 the guitar solo transitions into a tremolo picking version of the main theme, and at 4:00 the full ensemble comes back one more time to hammer it home. This tune is fairly chromatic in a lot of spots and I probably hit some bum notes, but I think for the most part it's still recognizable.

Contact Information thebitterroost thebitterrooster.wordpress.com 32609 Submission Information Ironsword: Wizards & Warriors 2 I Can Carry You No Further Level 1, Level 2 Additional information (has [already] been added to the site) (one of the sound archives already available on the site) This mix was done with acoustic drums, mic'ed with a single overhead as an experiment. No samples reinforcing the kit. Guitars and bass are DI, amp-sim'ed with the freeware LePou LeGion and Audiffex GK Amp 2 LE. These two tracks have a similar feel, but the level one theme had to have a key and time signature change in order to be incorporated with the level 2 theme.

I'm surprised you mentioned New Order because this minimalist setup is making me think more in the lines of Joy Division myself. It's also very odd to hear just drums, bass, melodies, and a load of different countermelodies peaking in as they see fit. As propetik pointed out, there's a gap in the low-mids to fit something in like a set of keys or a lower pad, so feel free to experiment with adding other parts. I also believe the bass is lacking a bottom, so consider adding a quieter sub-bass layer transposed down an octave as well. I'm also surprised neither of my fellow judges touched upon the arrangement - because it feels liberal. I appreciate your intention to mold the melodies into the genre adaptation, but some sections sound less like the source than others. Here's what I sensed: 0:30-0:34 / 0:52-0:56 / 1:47-1:51 / 3:29-3:33 / 3:40-3:44 / 3:51-3:55 / 4:02-4:06 - one reference of the A melody within the entire main hook 0:57-1:08 - playing around with the B melody 1:20-1:31 - a different way of playing around with the B melody 1:53-2:37 - clear use of the C melody 2:44-2:50 - brief use of "It Can Waiver and Fight" That's exactly 100 seconds of source in a 4-minute song, so by that alone, 40% evident source use is not enough. The autopilot nature is already an issue, especially with the VGM-free hooks (0:13, 0:35, 1:31, 2:50) sounding near-identical to each other. Consider going back into the hooks and seeing what you can do not only to add more of the source melodies but also to give the hooks something to stick out from the others. One could have a unique countermelody; another could have added grace notes into a more refined melody variation; a third could have the drums brought into half-time all of a sudden. These are just silly ideas from my head - the world is your oyster with these, so feel free to experiment with those parts. It's a bold attempt with distinct inspirations, but the empty sound design, autopilot nature and lack of source all hurt it right now, so I can't pass it as it is. It'll be nice to hear another version that adds more parts into the sub-bass and low-mids, varies the hooks, and above all adds more evident BGM use. I hope you get the chance to revise it in the future. NO (resubmit)

Original Decision Contact Info: ReMixer name: about:blank Real name: Chris Bouchard Email address: ReMix info: Name of game ReMixed: Sword of Vermilion Name of individual song ReMixed: Stats ReMix title: Treacherous Road Here's a resub of my Sword of Vermillion remix. I fixed the limiter issue right away, which I really should've checked before sending the first mix through. I also tweaked the distorted synth arp and all of the bass synths, applied a gate to the snare at the end, and added some much needed sidechaining throughout. Let me know if it's worthy. Hope everyone's staying safe.

Hello, Contact Information ReMixer Name – DiGiovanni Name – Dylan DiGiovanni Website (for original music only) – digiovanni.bandcamp.com UserID – 36252Su Submission Information Game Arranged – Undertale Name of Arrangement – Dance of the Lasers Song Arranged – Another Medium Comments – I’ve always wanted to make remixes in general, especially of video game music, but I’ve always struggled with it for one reason or another. However, one morning a few weeks ago I decided to tab out Another Medium in Ableton Live using my Undertale Piano Collections book and some fan-made sheet music online. After I laid out the kind of sweeping pattern over the top of the song, I threw in some drums and was like “this could really go somewhere”, so I stuck with it and in about 3-4 hours I had written out the first third of the song and loved what I had so far! Now here we are, my first remix is complete and out there for everyone to see Thank you, -DiGiovanni

Remixer name: Bluelighter (ID 21840) Real Name: Guillaume SAUMANDE Mail: Game & Songs: Final Fantasy 5 & Airship – Legend of the Deep Forest Composer: Nobuo UEMATSU Interpreter: Bluelighter: Piano Comment: Hi OCR, For a long time, I wanted to make an arrangement of the “Forest theme” in piano. Several attempts, but without idea sufficient to start. “Airship theme” interested me also; but no more satisfying result. I didn’t think to marry these two themes, because of their atmosphere completely different (heroic for “Airship” and nostalgic for “Forest”) Later, I tried to play “Airship” in a different mood. It was nearer of the “Forest Theme” and it was more natural to arrange these two themes together. In parallel, I trained myself to improvise in piano in these melancholic harmonies, trying to use scale in a cohesive way. With all these elements, I had good material to start my arrangement. It’s played globally in a melancholic and peaceful mood. The accompaniment is discreet and repetitive to emphasize the right hand playing. But there are also some parts more rhythmed. In this arrangement, elements from “Airship” and “Forest Theme” intercede between them. For the title, it was natural to imagine the airship flying over this quiet forest Enjoy, Guillaume Breakdown - 0'00: Intro – «Airship» (soft) - 0’15: «Airship» 0’05 – 0’15 (soft) - 0’35: «Forest» 0 – 0’33 (soft) - 0’45: «Airship» 0’05 – 0’26 (rhythm marked) - 1’05: Transition: improvisation around «Forest» 0 – 0’33 (soft) - 1’16: «Forest» 0 – 0’33 (soft) - 1’30: «Airship» 0’26 – 0’50 (rhythm marked) - 1’44: Transition: «Airship» 0’50 – 0’55 (soft) - 1’50: «Forest» 0 – 0’33 (soft) - 2’03: «Forest» 0’33 – 1’10 (rhythm marked) - 2’20: «Airship» 0’05 – 0’15 (rhythm marked) - 2’34 to the end: Outro, improvisation around «Forest» 0 – 0’33 (soft)

This arrangement has its fun parts, for sure. The tail ends have good uses of high-pass filters to secure the rest, there are some well-planned sweeps throughout, and the DnB bass breakdowns are a fun idea. You've also kept it source-dominant throughout, so that's a plus - however, not a lot of it had gotten played around. You made a start with varying the opening chords with the high pad breakdown at 2:40 and gated pads at 3:33, as well as bringing the central motif onto the piano briefly at 3:23 and 3:55. But aside from those changes and the different key, there's not a lot done - the melody is presented as-is throughout, with no engaging changes other than a brief instrument swap near the end. Hence, I have to disagree with prophetik in that the melodic content isn't quite there yet. There are a lot of ways to vary up the notation - changed rhythms, grace notes, and pitch glides are the first three ideas that popped up in my head. Feel free to experiment. And of course, I also noticed that the mixdown feels empty. Don't get me wrong, though - the current instruments are neat and have the potential to engage the listener deeply. But a lot of the time, the bass does its sub-work, and then there'd be a gap in the low-mids while pads and melody occupy the upper-mids. prophetik's idea of additional pads covering that frequency range is a good start, though I feel it'll be appropriate to bring in an e-piano or a similar set of keys. If you think the soundscape needs to be thicker, layers can work as well - a different tone on the bass or melody transposed respectively up or down an octave could add more power to your palette. As of right now, it's a fun and bouncy romp, but this track needs more done to it to push it over the bar. Further playing around with the melodies and a thicker soundscape are two things I'd like to hear in a potential future revision. Please submit again. NO (resubmit)

ReMixer name: bsolmaz13 Name of game: Street Fighter II Name of arrangement: 'V' for Vicious Name of song arranged: Vega Stage

Remixer name: Twisted Reality Real name: Robert Vroemisse Email: Userid: 36240 Name of game: Metal Gear 2 -Solid Snake- Name of arrangement: Introducing Metal Gear Name of song arranged: Theme of Solid Snake (Opening BGM 1) Link to original soundtrack: Comments: I composed this dance arrangement with Propellerhead Reason. I use a sample of the title screen sound of the original Metal Gear for the MSX 2 in this track.

Remixer name: Bluelighter (ID 21840) Real Name: Guillaume SAUMANDE Mail: From the album project: Golden Sun: A World Reignited Game & Songs: Golden Sun – Ruins of Lemuria Composer: Motoi SAKURABA Interpreter: Bluelighter : Piano Comment: Hi OCR, Here is my second contribution for the album project. This track is a piano arrangement of Lemuria. The original song was peaceful and nostalgic; this kind of arrangement would be appropriated IMO. The arrangement alternates soft parts and parts with rhythm accentuated. I wanted in each part to respect the nostalgic characteristic of the original song. I was melancholic myself when I made this arrangement. This track was perfect to work on :d Guillaume Breakdown Original - 0'00 – 0'15 Melodic Line (ML) 1A - 0'15 – 0'26 ML 1B - 0'26 – 0'50 repeated - 0'51 – 1'15 ML2 Arrangement (in B flat minor) - intro ML1A : soft - 0'36 : ML1A : soft with arpeggios - 0'58 : ML1B : soft with arpeggios (G minor) - 1'15 : ML1B : rhythm marked - 1'28 : ML1A : rhythm marked (B flat minor) - 1'55 : ML1A : soft, crystalinne sounds - 2'20 : ML1A : soft, in a major variation - 2'43 : ML2 : rhythm marked (F minor) - 2'53 : ML2 : arpeggios, culminating point of the piece (B flat minor) - 3'30 : ML2 : soft with arpeggios - 3'51 : ML1A : soft, crystalinne sounds

Remixer name: Kade Kalka Game: Xenoblade Chronicles Arrangement title: The Shimmering Ether of Satorl Original song title: Satorl, The Shimmering Marsh (Night)

Remixer (and real) Name: Michael Hudak Link to my SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-513303599 Name of my arrangement: "999 Knives of Yellow Magikarp Orchestra" Name of games arranged: Pokemon Sun/Moon & Pokemon Red/Blue Name of songs arranged: From Sun/Moon it's the "Malie City" themes (both the day and night versions), and from Red/Blue it's "Caves of Mt. Moon". Hey there! Thanks again for all your hard work. The explanation for this is a tiny bit complicated because there are TWO versions of "Malie City", and TWO versions of a classic track called "1,000 Knives", which were hugely inspirational in the making of this new track. As for the breakdown of source usage, I mainly used the "Day" version of "Malie City", which for my money is the best 1-minute loop of anything from the Pokemon series. My arrangement uses it from 0:00-1:12, 1:48-1:53, and 3:08-3:44. The first 5 seconds of the "Night" theme has a little part I love that I included in my arrangement from 1:31-1:47. The main riff from "Caves of Mt. Moon" from Red & Blue I used in my song from 2:33-2:37, 2:42-2:48, and 3:44-4:34. The noise at 0:58 is the original Magikarp cry. In regards to the title and the inspiration (other than PKMN-related stuff), Ryuichi Sakamoto's "1,000 Knives" is one of my all-time favorite songs, featuring great Eastern melodies played on some very old-school synths, as well as an awesome extended guitar feature. Sakamoto was also in the now-legendary group Yellow Magic Orchestra, who later arranged their own version of "1,000 Knives" in 1980. Theirs featured a serious analog perc line and the very first usage of the Roland TR-808 in a recorded song! So, I've got the Pokemon stuff mixed in with a guitar feature (which is a bit loose purposefully, to humanize the programming a little), plus bass arps, classic synths (plugins!) perc runs, and big drum sounds, all to pay homage to the incomparable Sakamoto-san and those early 808 tracks, like "1,000 Knives" and "Searching for the Perfect Beat", by Afrika Bambaataa and The Soul Sonic Force. I mixed it for a more retro effect, too. Hopefully it all works for OCR, because I love this one!

RebeccaETripp Rebecca Tripp http://www.crystalechosound.com/ ID: 48262 Game(s): Chrono Cross Song Title: Vision of Hades Songs Remixed: Isle of the Damned/Poison Pond

The interpretation is excellent right off the bat. You adapted the source to a swing-time feel, there's a cheeky Ballad of the Windfish cameo in there, and Gregory's use of a clarinet countermelody effectively works well against the more prominent flute lead. There have been enough shake-ups with drum layers going in and out along with the variety of leads - but there's also a lot of repeated riffs at the same time, especially across the guitar and accordion parts. Thankfully, the source's transformations did more than enough to put that aside as a minor distraction and more of a caution to work on for future work. I find the sound design on this one to be intriguing, too - no instrument is clashing with another, but there's a lot of room freed up in the middle-rights for Gregory's wind instrumentation to take prominence. This gap in the sound design does feel quirky, but I consider this a by-product of a more devoted setup between fewer instruments. This track certainly has its moments, but it's got evident manipulations, some of Reuben's tightest performances yet, Gregory's usual steady woodwind work and a tightly produced package - all of these qualities being more than enough to see it on the front page in my book. Let's go. YES

I dig the quality behind this beat - it's a fair mixdown, the palette is very fun, and the effect work is very engaging. With a very minimal source tune, you also did well in adding more layers and some minor interpretation before going into the theme properly. I did, however, spot two things wrong with the bass - as said, there's the hard compression which makes the attacks sound too soft, and on top of that, I feel it's a touch too loud. Weakening the compression is a necessity, though consider playing around with its levels and seeing what you can get out of it. However, the arrangement needs a lot more. As of right now, the 0:11-1:14 first groove got repeated twice with no variation at all. That's just over two minutes of redundant cut-and-paste content, leaving a lot of room to change things up further. The suggestions of changing textures, bringing in rapping, or melody switch-ups are already great ideas. I also favor playing with the melody itself and the potential to present it in another way, with the use of grace notes, pitch-shifting, adding countermelodies, and the like. I can also suggest cutting the loops down from 2 to 3 if you're struggling to do much with it, but consider it a last resort move. As of right now, it's fun to listen to in a vacuum. The over-powered bass should be a quick one to experiment with, but the arrangement needs more work. See what you can do with that 2-minute gap to change things up from the first variation, as well as slack the bass's volume/compression. You got potential, for sure. NO (resubmit)